View full sizeAPFormer Chippewa and current Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown had a crucial, win preserving catch during Pittsburgh's 31 - 24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

DALLAS - Former Central Michigan University receiver Antonio Brown is receiving as much media attention as a veteran at the Super Bowl.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie has caught critical passes to help the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in the playoffs.

But it's his story that is attracting the media, that of an abandoned teenager, a walk-on at a Mid-American Conference school and a sixth-round draft pick. The son of pro football player Eddie Brown.

The walk-on part may be part of Super Bowl hyperbole, although technically he was a walk-on at CMU.

He became available after first-year coach Butch Jones had used up his scholarships, but Jones knew about Brown. Jones had scouted Brown as an assistant coach at West Virginia.

When Jones learned Brown was available, he quickly did what he could to bring him to CMU. Initially, Brown was not on scholarship, making him a walk-on. A scholarship, however, appeared quickly.

kansascity.com: Brown doesn’t go
into detail on why he had no home, saying only that it wasn’t his
choice. Mom remarried, he said, and circumstances forced him out. Dad
was off playing pro football. Antonio never saw staying with him as a
serious option.

Friends joined gangs, and Brown hung with them off
and on. Brown is 22 years old and says he has close friends serving
long prison terms. That could’ve been him. He didn’t always make the
right decisions, but he’s proud that he made it out.

“No love, no
support,” he says. “To beat them odds, this football part is easy for
me. I already survived my life, you know what I mean?”